Photo: Skinnydip LondonNow in its fifth year, the report monitors shopping trends by analysing extensive internal data. This year’s biggest trend were products which helped consumers escape from the uncertain political and economic climate facing Britain, with online searches for unicorn-themed products increasing by 70% compared the last year.

Unicorns were in fact ubiquitous, coming emblazoned on everything, from wallets to water bottles. Mermaid themes were also a favourite with searches increasing 22% on last year.

When it comes to colours, the soft blush shade millennial pink came first, dominating colour palettes in both homes and wardrobes. John Lewis counted 63,000 online searches for 'pink' since January 2017, which boosted the sale of women’s pink jackets by 55% and men’s pink t-shirts and shirts, up 74% and 39% respectively.

Photo: MissguidedHOW WE SHOP

This year, John Lewis reinvented the shopping experience with a particular focus on unique in-store events. The retail chain offered more try-before-you-buy, exclusive experiences in the last twelve months than ever before, including sleepovers in shops, live cooking demonstrations with Jamie Oliver, high tea in a Wedgewood pop-up tearoom and yoga and boxing workouts on the rooftop of John Lewis Oxford Street.

The appetite for unique shopping experience is being driven by millennial shoppers, with younger customers twice as likely to do a leisure activity or have a beauty treatment while out shopping than more mature customers.

And due to their convenience, mobile devices are becoming the top medium of choice when online shopping. They account for over a third of online traffic to johnlewis.com and purchases made on smartphones increased a staggering 69% this year.

Peter Cross, Director of Customer Experience at John Lewis, said: “How we shop continues to change at pace. Shops now need to combine the very best products with the latest, most immersive experiences. For many customers, their phones are the 'remote control' for their lives with their shopping, banking, social networks and to-do list in one place.

“Five years on, this report is as intriguing as ever - as much for highlighting what we bought as highlighting what we haven't. It's our job to make sure that customers in 2020 will be as engaged and excited by the products and experiences we offer as they are today. In the face of all this change we will make sure that John Lewis remains trusted by millions of customers across the country for expert advice and guaranteed quality, which is never knowingly undersold.”

​John Lewis had a fairly unimpressive week in the seven days to February 3 as overall sales dropped by 0.2%. But in a chilly UK, its exclusive fashion offer and beauty did better than other categories.